Many friends and family are confused as to exactly how candidates are selected for party nomination, and how they end up representing a major political party in the general election. Well, let me break it down for you in simple terms.

The process kicks off (for the two major political parties in the US) with candidates battling for their parties nomination by competing in each state's primary election or caucus. After a nominee is selected, they move on to the general election, where our President is chosen.

Keep in mind when looking at these polls, they are merely based off of past voters being polled, hence, any newcomers will not be polled. So, say for example - you have switched parties and or had never voted before, or don't own a landline - their vote may have been missed - skewing results. Thus, a sample error of + or - %5 might not be truly accurate, some could argue it may be as high as %10-20. However, it is what it is and this is what we have: